With the Soccer World Cup just over 70 days away (72 at the time of publishing), the South African tourism industry is readying itself for the biggest-ever short-term influx of tourists into the country. Flights are being filled, accommodation is quickly being booked up and tourist attractions are gearing up for the arrival of hundreds of thousands of tourists expected during the showpiece. There have been some issues of controversy and concern but most have been quickly addressed or put under investigation. TradeInvestSA investigates how South Africa is gearing up for the World Cup and what still needs to be done to make the 2010 Soccer World Cup a enjoyable experience for all tourists.

South Africa has always been blessed with an abundance of attractive tourist sites and destinations. The contrasting landscapes, the warm climate and the affordable nature of travel in South Africa have all been major factors in attracting millions of tourists to the country. With the first African Soccer World Cup almost upon us, it is vital for South Africa to put its best foot forward in an effort to impress new visitors and create a lasting impression that will encourage people to return as well as invest in the country.

Concerns

As with any undertaking such as the one being taken on by a developing country such as South Africa, there will be a significant amount of bad press surrounding the 2010 Soccer World Cup. The prices of flights and accommodation are two such issues. Other concerns include the ability of South Africa to complete the stadiums on time, put the necessary transport infrastructure in place, and probably most significantly, the potential security risks to tourists.

The Department of Tourism commissioned an investigation into the price of World Cup accommodation and the results were released on Friday by the accounting firm, Grant Thornton. The survey revealed that 74% of accommodation establishments are charging reasonable prices. Reasonable prices are defined by not being 50% above high-season rates. Although anything above the high-season rate might seem already high, the survey found that accommodation during major events does operate on a supply and demand basis and therefore higher prices should be expected. Rates that are more than 50% above the high-season rate are, however, considered to be unreasonably excessive.

Of those surveyed, 50% indicated that they would not be raising prices at all and 26% indicated that they would be charging their low-season rates. The Department of Tourism has also advised tourists to shop around as there are plenty of accommodation options. Not only have people offered up their own houses and flats but universities (University of Cape Town, University of Witwatersrand and Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University) are offering their residences as tourist accommodation and there are even a number of cruise liners that will act as floating hotels in the Durban and Cape Town harbours.

The price of flights has also been a concern with both BA and SAA being accused of charging exorbitant prices and potentially colluding in deciding on flight prices during the World Cup. SAA’s CEO has denied that any collusion is occurring and politicians have said that SAA will not raise prices unnecessarily. SAA has, however, said that prices are higher because numerous planes will be empty as they fly to pick up passengers from particular venues. This issue is yet to be fully ironed out but South Africa’s open economy is likely to provide options for travellers The low-cost airlines such as Kulula, 1Time and Mango have already unveiled campaigns to advertise the cheaper options that they offer.

The progress of the construction of stadiums is one aspect, which South Africa is in control of and in a number of cases ahead of schedule. All the new stadiums are complete and it is just the upgrades to existing stadiums that need to be completed, such as the relaying of the Loftus Versfeld pitch. A number of the stadiums have already hosted numerous fixtures to test their readiness and feedback has been generally positive. The criticisms seem to have been addressed as organisers have taken note and communicated their resulting actions.

In terms of the most talked-about issue, security, it is quite clear that the local organising committee is making strides in mitigating against any threat. Over 40,000 additional policemen and women are being hired to cope with the influx of tourists and the various state bodies are voicing their readiness, such as the army, which has cancelled all leave over the World Cup period in order to be fully prepared for any eventuality. Most importantly, however, South Africa’s record in protecting tourists at major sporting events has been outstanding. The 1995 Rugby World Cup, the 2003 Cricket World Cup, the 2009 Indian Premier League (IPL), the 2009 Lions tour to South Africa and the 2009 Confederations Cup were all hugely successful with very few security issues. There can be no doubting the high crime rate in South Africa but South Africa has shown that when it comes to major events, there is an enormous undertaking to ensure participants and fans are safe.

Preparations on track

South Africa’s experience in being an extremely popular tourist destination has provided a great base to work from and it is clear that an enormous amount of work has gone into making South Africa an attractive tourist destination for soccer fans.

In South Africa’s preparation for the World Cup, a number of new initiatives will be unveiled. SAA has for example said that they will offer flights on a 24-hour basis to cater for the increased demand for air travel. This is being undertaken due to the late hour of many of the soccer matches as well as the fear that a shortage of accommodation in certain host cities will mean soccer fans will have to travel immediately after certain matches.

The Gautrain is also being prepared in order to run limited services in time for the showpiece – despite the whole network only aiming to be completed in 2011. The Gautrain airport link is being prepared in time for the World Cup to transport visitors from OR Tambo International to Sandton, Johannesburg.

There are also going to be innovations, such as the idea developed by Mark Allewell to provide mobile information to tourists. His idea is to provide tourism radio, with relevant information about things like accommodation, restaurants and flights streaming over the airwaves to any interested listeners. These tourists will also be able to download tourism information if they have web-enabled cell phones.

The justice department has also come to the party with plans to prioritise all cases that are World Cup related over the period of the showpiece.

The South African consulates and embassies are also preparing themselves and will prioritise visas for the World Cup period.

With less than three months until the beginning of the World Cup, preparations are on track. FIFA has continued to voice its satisfaction at the preparations of the country in achieving 100% readiness by 11 June 2010. As the opening draws near and the hype surrounding the World Cup builds, we are likely to see accommodation occupancies rising and more flights being booked, such as is being witnessed with African fans in countries such as Nigeria. Despite the doubts and the scepticism, TradeInvestSA predicts that the 2010 Soccer World Cup experience will be a special and unique one with South Africa’s reputation being enhanced.